UNIVERSITI PUTRA MALAYSIA

ACQUISITION OF ENGLISH PERSONAL AND REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS BY L1 MALAY SPEAKERS

SOO KUM YOKE

FBMK 2011 36

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ACQUISITION OF ENGLISH PERSONAL AND

REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS BY

L1 MALAY SPEAKERS

SOO KUM YOKE

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

UNIVERSITI PUTRA MALAYSIA

2011

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ACQUISITION OF ENGLISH PERSONAL AND

REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS BY L1 MALAY SPEAKERS

By

SOO KUM YOKE

Thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia,

in Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

May 2011

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Dedicated to mum and dad,

The head and heart of this research…

And to the rest of my family for

the shoulder to cry on,

the elbow to nudge on,

the kick to move on,

the hand to hold on,

and the smile to carry on.

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Abstract of thesis presented to the Senate of Universiti Putra Malaysia

in fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

ACQUISITION OF ENGLISH PERSONAL

AND REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS BY L1 MALAY SPEAKERS

By

SOO KUM YOKE

May 2011

Chair: Associate Professor Wong Bee Eng, PhD

Faculty: Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication

This study investigates the acquisition of English personal and reflexive pronouns by L1

Malay speakers in relation to the issues of development and parameter resetting in SLA

within the Universal Grammar (UG) framework. In particular, we test the Failed

Functional Features hypothesis proposed by Hawkins and Chan (1997) that parametric

values associated with functional categories which are not instantiated in the learners L1

at the critical period of learning are not available for acquisition in their L2. A hundred

and fifty respondents participated in this study. They were divided into three groups of

fifty respondents each based on their proficiency levels. The instruments used were an

independent proficiency test, a Grammaticality Judgement Test, a Binding Test and an

Elicited Translation Task.

Malay personal pronouns do not differentiate gender and case features. Further, reflexive

pronouns are not included in the Malay parts of speech. It is hence argued that these

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parametric differences between the learners’ L1 and L2 would impede acquisition as the

learners are unable to reset L1 parameters beyond the critical period of learning. They

would therefore have to find other mechanisms in order to fit their L1 settings within the

constraints of UG. The findings show that with longer exposure to the L2, the

intermediate and advanced groups were better able to acquire the pronouns compared to

the elementary group. However, their performances were still far from native speaker

competency. The results also suggest that features which were available in the learners

L1 such as the number feature were better acquired compared to the gender and case

features in personal pronouns. While reflexives were not available in the learners’ L1,

they were still able to acquire them because a substitute form of reflexive-like pronouns

was found in the learners’ L1. Comparatively, reflexive pronouns remained more difficult

to attain. Binding property A tested showed that the learners found it difficult to acquire

the property because of influence from the parametric values of the pronouns tested

which were problematic.

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Abstrak tesis yang dikemukakan kepada Senat Universiti Putra Malaysia

sebagai memenuhi keperluan untuk ijazah Doktor Falsafah

PEMBELAJARAN KATA GANTINAMA DIRI DAN

KATA GANTINAMA REFLEKSIF BAHASA INGGERIS OLEH

PENTUTUR BAHASA MELAYU IBUNDA

Oleh

SOO KUM YOKE

Mei 2011

Pengerusi: Profesor Madya Wong Bee Eng, PhD

Fakulti: Fakulti Bahasa Moden dan Komunikasi

Penyelidikan ini mengkaji pembelajaran kata gantinama diri dan kata gantinama refleksif

Bahasa Inggeris oleh pentutur Bahasa Melayu ibunda dan hubungannya dengan isu

perkembangan dan pengubahsuaian parameter dalam SLA di bawah teori Universal

Grammar (UG). Khususnya, hukum Failed Functional Features yang dikemukakan oleh

Hawkins dan Chan (1997) akan diuji berdasarkan sama ada parameter yang berkaitan

dengan kategori functional yang tidak digunapakai di dalam bahasa pertama pelajar pada

jangkamasa pembelajaran kritikal boleh digunapakai untuk pembelajaran bahasa kedua

pelajar. Seratus lima puluh peserta terlibat dalam kajian ini. Mereka dibahagikan kepada

tiga kumpulan berjumlah lima puluh peserta setiap kumpulan mengikut tahap kemahiran

bahasa. Alat pengukur yang digunakan ialah ujian kemahiran bahasa, Grammaticality

Judgement Test, Binding Test dan Elicited Translation Task.

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Kata gantinama diri dalam Bahasa Melayu tidak membezakan unsur jantina dan kes. Di

samping itu, kata gantinama refleksif tidak termasuk dalam tatabahasa Bahasa Melayu.

Maka, dinyatakan bahawa perbezaan parametrik di antara bahasa pertama dan bahasa

kedua pelajar mungkin menjadi masalah kepada pembelajaran kerana pelajar tidak dapat

mengubahsuai parameter bahasa pertama selepas melalui jangkamasa pembelajaran

kritikal. Jadi, mereka terpaksa mencari cara lain untuk menyesuaikan set bahasa pertama

mereka dalam konstrain UG. Keputusan kajian ini menunjukkan bahawa dengan

pendedahan lebih lama kepada bahasa kedua, pelajar kumpulan tahap tengah dan tahap

tinggi dapat memperolehi kemahiran kata gantinama lebih baik daripada pelajar tahap

rendah. Ini menunjukkan bahawa mereka dapat menstrukturkan tatabahasa mental

mereka kepada bentuk bahasa kedua tanpa mengubahsuai parameter bahasa pertama

mereka. Namun, pencapaian mereka masih tidak setanding dengan penutur asal Bahasa

Inggeris. Maka dinyatakan bahawa walaupun pelajar dapat membina tatabahasa mental

untuk Bahasa Inggeris, ianya masih tidak setaraf penutur Bahasa Inggeris asal dan perlu

menggunakan cara lain untuk pembelajaran seperti latih tubi atau penghafalan.

Keputusan kajian ini juga mencadangkan bahawa unsur-unsur yang wujud dalam bahasa

pertama pelajar seperti unsur bilangan lebih disenangi berbanding dengan unsur jantina

dan kes. Walaupun kata gantinama refleksif tidak wujud dalam kelas tatabahasa Bahasa

Melayu, pelajar masih dapat mempelajarinya kerana masih wujud bentuk penggunaan

kata yang seakan-akan kata gantinama refleksif di dalam bahasa pertama pelajar. Secara

perbandingan, kata gantinama refleksif lebih sukar dipelajari daripada kata gantinama diri.

Hukum binding A yang diuji menunjukkan bahawa pelajar mengalami kesukaran

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mempelajarinya tetapi ujian lanjut yang dijalankan menunjukkan bahawa pengaruh dari

perbezaan parametrik telah menpengaruhi keputusan.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

There are many persons who have helped me through this very tedious but pleasant

doctoral research experience. First and foremost, I wish to express my gratitude to my

supervisor, Associate Professor Dr Wong Bee Eng, who has provided me with invaluable

guidance and advice in completing this thesis. Many thanks also to my co-supervisors

Professor Dr Chan Swee Heng and Associate Professor Dr Mohd Faiz Abdullah. I also

wish to thank the staff and students of Sekolah Tinggi Segamat and Universiti Teknologi

MARA Johor for their assistance in volunteering as respondents. They were really

accommodating and supportive. Many thanks also to the PTDI UiTM Johor librarians for

their assistance. Words are not enough to express my thanks to my sister, Jacqueline Soo

who has stuck with me when the going was tough and to the rest of my family for their

moral support which has kept me going right to the end. I appreciate all the support from

everyone involved. Thank you all.

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I certify that a Thesis Examination Committee has met on 5th July 2011 to conduct the

final examination of Soo Kum Yoke on her thesis entitled “The Acquisition of English

Personal and Reflexive Pronouns by L1 Malay Speakers” in accordance with the

Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 and the Constitution of the Universiti

Putra Malaysia [P.U. (A) 106] 15 March 1998. The Committee recommends that the

student be awarded the Doctor of Philosophy.

Members of the Thesis Examination Committee were as follows:

Wan Roselezam binti Wan Yahya, PhD

Associate Professor

Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication

Universit Putra Malaysia

(Chairman)

Tan Bee Hoon, PhD

Associate Professor

Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication

Universit Putra Malaysia

(Internal Examiner)

Mardziah Hayati binti Abdullah, PhD

Associate Professor

Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication

Universit Putra Malaysia

(Internal Examiner)

Panagiotidis Efthyvoulos, PhD

Professor

Department of English Studies

University of Cyprus

Cyprus

(External Examiner)

___________________________________

NORITAH OMAR, PhD

Deputy Dean

School of Graduate Studies

Universiti Putra Malaysia

Date:

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This thesis was submitted to the Senate of Universiti Putra Malaysia and has been

accepted as fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. The

members of the Supervisory Committee were as follows:

Wong Bee Eng, PhD

Associate Professor

Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication

Universiti Putra Malaysia

(Chairman)

Chan Swee Heng, PhD

Professor

Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication

Universiti Putra Malaysia

(Member)

Mohd Faiz Abdullah, PhD

Associate Professor

Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication

Universiti Putra Malaysia

(Member)

___________________________________

HASANAH MOHD GHAZALI, PhD

Professor and Dean

School of Graduate Studies

Universiti Putra Malaysia

Date:

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DECLARATION

I declare that the thesis is my original work except for quotations and citations which

have been duly acknowledged. I also declare that it has not been previously, and is not

concurrently, submitted for any other degree at Universiti Putra Malaysia or at any other

institution.

______________________________

SOO KUM YOKE

Date: 5 May 2011

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

DEDICATION ii

ABSTRACT iii

ABSTRAK v

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS viii

APPROVAL SHEETS ix

DECLARATION xi

LIST OF TABLES xv

LIST OF FIGURES xviii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xix

CHAPTER

1 INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Background to the Study 1

1.2 Statement of Problem 8

1.3 Purpose of the Study 10

1.4 Research Questions 10

1.5 Theoretical Framework 11

1.6 Significance of the Study 14

1.7 Scope of the Study 15

1.8 Overview of the Thesis 16

2 STUDIES ON SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION 17

2.1 The Role of First Language in Second Language Acquisition 17

2.2 Developmental Stages 22

2.3 Parameter Resetting and the Failed Functional

Features Hypothesis 25

2.4 Studies on the Acquisition of Personal Pronouns 31

2.5 Studies on the Acquisition of Reflexive Pronouns 33

2.6 Summary 37

3 LINGUISTIC ASSUMPTIONS 40

3.1 English and Malay Personal Pronouns 40

3.2 English and Malay Reflexive Pronouns 47

3.2.1 diri (+ pronoun) 55

3.2.2 diri (+ pronoun) sendiri 56

3.2.3 sendiri/diri 58

3.3 Summary 59

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4 METHODOLOGY 63

4.1 Research Design 63

4.2 Method 65

4.2.1 Sampling 65

4.2.2 Test Instruments 67

4.3 Summary 78

5 DATA ANALYSIS 79

5.1 Respondents’ Background 79

5.2 Test Results 82

5.3 Oxford Placement Test 82

5.4 Grammatical Judgement Task 83

5.4.1 Test of Judgements on the Usage of

(Third Person) Personal Pronouns 83

5.4.2 Test of Judgements on the Usage of

Reflexive Pronouns 88

5.4.3 Test of Features in (Third Person) Personal

Pronouns 94

5.4.4 Test of Features in Reflexives 110

5.5 Binding Test 127

5.6 Elicited Translation Task 130

5.6.1 English Personal Pronouns in the ETT 131

5.6.2 Reflexive Pronouns in the ETT 132

5.6.3 Test of Features in (Third Person) Personal Pronouns 134

5.6.4 Test of Features in Reflexive Pronouns 149

5.7 Conclusion 160

6 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION 162

6.1 General Overview of the Study 162

6.2 The Acquisition of English Personal and Reflexive Pronouns

by L1 Malay Speakers from Different Proficiency Levels 163

6.2.1 The Acquisition of English Personal Pronouns 164

6.2.2 The Acquisition of English Reflexive Pronouns 166

6.3 Features in English Personal Pronouns 169

6.3.1 Gender 169

6.3.2 Case 171

6.3.3 Number 173

6.4 Features in English Reflexive Pronouns 175

6.4.1 Gender 175

6.4.2 Number 177

6.4.3 Person 179

6.5 Binding Principle A in the Acquisition of English Reflexive

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Pronouns 181

6.5.1 The BT Results for Binding Property A 182

6.6 Conclusions and Implications 184

6.7 Recommendations for Future Studies 189

REFERENCES 190

APPENDICES 199

BIODATA OF STUDENT 250

LIST OF PUBLICATIONS (Publications that arise from the study) 251